Washington: The United States has sanctioned six individuals saying they were promoting a recent conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, western media reported.
Reports quoting the statement of the Treasury Department said that sanctioned persons are part of Rwandan or Congolese key militias or armed forces and were involved in serious human rights abuses.
Congo’s military Accuses Rwanda of Escalation
Last month, Congo’s military blamed Rwandan forces for entering its border area, a claim denied by Rwanda. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has since called Rwanda’s leader for de-escalation.
The conflict escalated in the African state when an insurgency led by a Tutsi group called the M23 captured swathes of territory in North Kivu province in 2021. It later started fighting against the Congolese military and other armed groups.
The US Treasury has said the sanctioned Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is also behind escalating violence in the region.
The individuals sanctioned on Thursday include Rwandan nationals and FDLR leaders Apollinaire Hakizimana and Sebastian Uwimbabazi.
Ruvugayimikore Protogene, a Rwandan national leading an FDLR-affiliated group, and Andrew Nyamvumba of the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) were also sanctioned.
The Congolese nationals placed under sanctions are Bernard Byamungu, M23 leader and Salomon Tokolonga, a member of the DR Congo military.
After the decision, their property and interests in the United States are blocked.
UN experts, the DRC government and some Western nations accuse Rwanda of actively backing the M23 militias.
Armed groups have affected much of eastern DR Congo for three decades.
